Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro leaves house arrest for shoulder surgery, wife says

SAO PAULO - Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, entered surgery on the morning of May 1 for a shoulder procedure expected to last about five hours, including two hours of preparation, his wife, Mrs Michelle Bolsonaro, said in a social media post at around 9am local time (8pm Singapore time).

The procedure aims to address a chronic problem in his right shoulder that has caused persistent pain and limited his mobility.

Bolsonaro has been under humanitarian house arrest, under an initial 90-day regime authorised on medical grounds, while also dealing with other health issues.

He was convicted last year of plotting a coup after his narrow defeat by Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 presidential election.

In allowing the surgery, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled that only Mrs Bolsonaro would be permitted to accompany him at the hospital, with all other visits suspended, including those of lawyers and other family members, unless authorised by the court. REUTERS